Kakegurui (2017–2019) User Reviews

It's unique, flawed, and worth a watch.

[badcgishark · 7/10 · 14 January 2020]

This is one hell of a unique show and the first season is done incredibly well. Having a main protagonist who is a chaotic neutral (not bad, not good, and unpredictable) is fun. The first season was simple yet complex enough to really pull me in. It has great character development and many "OH DAMN!" moments that make it stand out. I'd easily give the first season a 9/10.

The second season was decent, but not nearly as polished. Way too many new characters, and the bets were either convoluted or meaningless. Possibly worth a watch, but the ending was completely lacking.

Season 1 - 9/10 Season 2 - 5/10

Series as a whole - 7/10

Watch the first season and if you really love it, go into the second season with lowered expectations.

It's Yugioh for Adults

[hanentr · 8/10 · 16 April 2020]

The title states most of it. If you loved Yugioh as a kid, you'll love this. If not, it's probably not the show for you.

On the technical side of things, this show is absolutely gorgeous. The animation, the designs, the backgrounds are all incredible. The voice acting is phenomenal (both the sub and the dub, which is amazing). And the music is so good that I actually downloaded the soundtracks for both seasons.

The actual gambling is flashy, but it won't take you long to realize there aren't many stakes (much like Yugioh). But while the gambling aspects could be handled better (it is a gambling anime after all), most of the fun comes from watching these insane characters bounce off each other. They all have wildly different and entertaining personalities, and the writers and actors do an excellent job at selling their interactions.

As a gambling anime, it fails. But as a messed up school-comedy, it's amazing.

Lovely

[zynpsolak · 7/10 · 19 October 2018]

Lovely show. Yes it is great for passing time but it's nothing close to amazing. I would say watch it if you have time to spare but dont give it a second thought if not.

The Ace Attorney of gambling.

[sebastianali123 · 7/10 · 26 September 2021]

I don't know why, but this series reminds me, at least to a certain extent, of the video game series "Ace Attorney", in the sense that the protagonist has to get to the truth through very, very intelligent logical deductions, or in this case, discover the cheat in the bet, at least in the first season. And speaking of the first season, this is by far the best. Not only do they introduce us to the protagonist in a spectacular way, being very manipulative, intelligent and willing to bet at any cost, but they also show us how she is climbing positions and gaining more and more respect. I like when a series, video game or movie does that, as it encourages progress and advancement of the character. And I also liked a lot how in the last two episodes he basically faces the most important people of the academy, the treasurer Manyuda and finally the president. I also liked how one of the characters (Ryota Suzuik) is basically presented as a normal student, oblivious (or almost oblivious) to all this gambling, and he befriends Yumeko, which gives a good clash between both personalities in many occasions. However, from the second season all this is lost. We no longer have Yumeko climbing positions or earning more and more respect. I mean, to a certain extent it is present, but it is not the main thing. But now the whole season is about who is going to be the president of the school, and we are introduced to several families who have zero charisma. In addition, their past is not entirely clear and sometimes these "sub stories" that they tell us become confusing. And the end of this season ends very lazy, there are so many questions to answer to end the series like this... In summary, Kakegurui is an anime with unique ideas, but that should have explained several things before ending (at least for the moment), as well as maintaining the basis of the first season which was to win bets through pure logic, with a Yumeko with a more manipulative than friendly personality, climbing positions and encountering powerful rivals.

Not everyone's slice of cake... But if it's your kind of show, you'll love it

[mauriciovillarino · 10/10 · 16 May 2018]

Okay. So let's get straight into it. This anime is not normal. it's not supposed to be. You can't expect an anime about a woman who finds risk exciting, to be rational (at least most people shouldn't). It's all about the madness of the characters as they struggle on high stake gambling, just for the thrills of it. Money really doesn't matter to most of them. That being said, I don't really get why some people criticise the anime for its crazy moments, when that's one of the reasons its so much fun. I mean, given my last point, you should've expected it'd be like that. If you didn't find all that madness appealing, you shouldn't have watched it in the first place. I read a little about the irrationality of the charachters and the show's overall madness before watching it, and got instantly thrilled by it. I watched it afterwards, and didn't regret it at all. So, my point is, that it's not for everyone. But that doesn't mean you should hate on it because it's not your kind of show. Just skip it. On the other hand, if you're like me and find madness and unpredictable characters appealing, definitely give it a try. It'll be a fun watch.

Why it makes me cry

[golubevdev · 7/10 · 22 January 2019]

This is the review for 2nd season mostly. First season is 10/10 and its like a natural danger, like a fire in the eyes. With a bright characters, mind games. And a little flavor of romantic So tasty!

Second season. Unfortuantelly personality of the main characters was changed. The way they behave. What they feel. The "madness" they care. Common sense at the end. Which was almost everything. [Spoilers*] Can you imagine a stupid Umeko? Here you can. Check this: In first season: "-Umeko: I'm not sure that that i can win that, but lets try this. It feels so nice, it feels so danger. Let me lead it. So much fun!" In second season: "I finally got 300000000¥ from that guy. Now i can play the games safely. Sad that they are no more about the money." Or the guillotine game where she played with suicidal-psychopathic girl. And have a zero control about her life and the way the game goes. Totally different person.

Add to this new "cliche-like raid-boss" empty characters. Break the story line. And whoa. You got a second season in a nutshell. Thats a mess. [*Spoilers]

I will keep 7 for the first one only. Its woth watching

Hoping that they bring season 3 out!!!

[meehndyuee · 10/10 · 22 January 2020]

I binge watched both seasons and am hoping that they release a third season soon! I'd say that it's worth watching if you can keep up with all of the game information that's given with each gamble AND also if you're into overreacting characters. I watched an episode of the original non-animated series and the animated version does the movie a great deal of justice and more. Honestly if you find yourself critiquing it poorly, you should have done your research before watching it.

A good but forgettable thriller

[vectorequinox · 7/10 · 19 February 2018]

While it is interesting to watch, the story is simple and the villains one-dimensional. Good but lacking substance, Nothing new but has potential to be good.

Pounding was real

[atharvature · 8/10 · 26 July 2021]

Just watching it made my heart beat faster in some situations, amazing animation and design.

It was okay

[jasminn_tan · 7/10 · 23 November 2021]

Started watching this without knowing what it was about and the first few episodes were good because it was exciting. But I felt kind of bored by the end of the first season, and the ending felt rather anticlimactic. The characters were wild though and I did like how the friendships were formed between Yumeko and the others.

I really like this anime for having such competitive chicks who are talented at poker!

[Irishchatter · 8/10 · 3 June 2019]

Damn I just liked the thrill of it all and you know, you honestly don't have to understand poker here! The girl characters on this are rather interesting because they technically beat every opponents butt and of course they have split personalities. They go from being sugarcoated cutesy girls to being ultimate crazies by putting on ahegao faces. Yeah parents, please don't show this anime to kids.

Definitely if you like your psychological stuff and have a competitive side for a wild ride, this is definitely the anime series to watch!

Interesting but very much flawed

[ciolekmango · 6/10 · 24 May 2022]

When people say this show is for a "specific kind of person" it's not an exaggeration. The characters, setting, competitions, and punishments in the series are absolutely insane, making little to no sense, and sometimes being downright horrifying. I actually didn't enjoy season one, I really did just find it too full of plot holes and lazy writing for my taste, but I actually think season 2 improved on it with more consistency in its characters and an overall more cohesive plot. Plus season two actually has a really fun character in it, which I think season one lacks(I know this is an unpopular opinion though). It's definitely not for everyone, but if you're that specific person that just likes insanity and doesn't really care about cohesion or a strict narrative then, who knows this might be your thing.

Odds are: you'll like it at first.

[GiraffeDoor · 5/10 · 26 April 2023]

This show begins explosively but what I thought would be addictive viewing loses a lot of steam very quickly.

I'm tempted to say this is Pokemon for adults but then I remember that Pokemon is already pokemon for adults and I don't really want to call this a grown-ups show (it's like my favorite show, Family Guy).

But first: I like the concept, I really do. I was intrigued by this brutal world in which money and privilege reign but craftiness dominates all. It takes a fair while one to realise that you're basically just watching people play games each episode. Yes, the stakes are high as people are quite literally gambling their freedom away but even then how many times can you create suspense in how a casino game plays out before it gets kind of lazy?

They even have on going commentary to spell out the strategy in case you miss it which is thoughtful of them but if you really need that, then just give me something that can be appreciated through visual storytelling.

The story of shifting power and the internal politics of the school (playing out apparently without an adult in sight) is also intriguing but it gets eclipsed by the episode by episode games.

My impressions of the first episode was this explosive, kaleidoscopic vision of a caustic world where your fortune rests on a knife's edge with the adult black-white-red color scheme, the explosive free jazz soundtrack and bombastic visual style.

It's really the characters that pull this along. The established bourgeois bullies meet their match against a terrifying gambling addict; seductive as honey but clearly in need of immediate medication. Genius is simply the other side of madness it seems as alliances are forged and broken and the mask comes off so see that everything is out for something. It's that lurid mangamation aesthetic with shameless and lascivious sex appeal and where charasmatic females are seen through the eyes of a nonedescript male audience surrogate.

I was annoyed by that kid in the bunny suit. She so engineered an unfair game.

I haven't been bothered to finish this yet so maybe that should tell you that you get maybe one whole engaging season.

<3

[rodriguezlea-16540 · 7/10 · 12 March 2021]

I love this series, we see Yumeko Jabami making others crazy.She'plays hier like at times and she gives strong emotion and we goo who follow héron her bets, that i like in character it's because she compares to many schools that don't treat people differently because they are in the status

Enjoyed watching it.

[juliusgerdnikolausniessen · 10/10 · 15 February 2018]

10 Stars because the show hooked me right away and had an unused setting. After Devilmay Crybaby, the 2nd Netflix Anime I watched in 2018 that was great. If all the planned 30 animes in 2018 are that good...

it creep you out

[puneetsharma9 · 6/10 · 23 November 2018]

It is very different anime I never saw this madness before and how the hell they make a anime with card so much dramatic and edgy.

Brings a whole new spectrum in GAMBLING

[sisubalan · 8/10 · 27 July 2022]

A setup with food wars/beelzebub/high school dxd cross with liar's game storyline. Some of the challenges were hard to follow and doesnt make sense but its still very enjoyable especially the way the characters potrayed. Sone creepy, some normal, sone aggressive, some childish, etc. Great voice casts and characters' design & amazing animation style with eye popping color schemes. Not a fan of the idol/singing competition challenge. The rest were pretty good. Wanted it more but thats too bad, no more after season 2 for now.

not bad

[bummer-77450 · 7/10 · 17 November 2021]

The first season got me hooked up pretty nicely the characters are good and even tho it has an uhhmm here and there it is an interesting story, but season 2 is the exact opposite, trying much to hard, dont think im going to finish this.

I binged season 1, season 2 I can't even watch the first 15 minutes

[dussaultjulien · 10/10 · 14 July 2019]

The first season of the show was extremely imaginative, fun and very binge-worthy. The characters were well written, it twists in the story lines were well written as well and not usually followed which makes them better, but doing the exact same thing for season 2 doesn't really make for anything very imaginative. I wish that they would have waited longer to release this second season, because it is such a disappointment.

To be watched with precautions

[Nonomemes · 6/10 · 20 October 2021]

Let's start with the Pro:

• Very good graphics part especially in the first season, more in general technically the series looks to be prepared by pro.s (see e.g. Awesome singing duet with Yumemi of the first season).

• The tactics/strategies/etc.. are very well explained, the tone is calm like at a professionist table

But we have also many Cons:

• The rating: This is hentai gyanburu so any fluffy rating I saw like TV-PG/TV-14 or similar is not acceptable: with such level of gambling-enjoiment ( and often violence ) it is defenively not suitable for minors.

• Yumemi is too perfect and lucky to be realistic: Assuming that such a skilled gambler do exists, I can hardly believe she can excel so easily in other fields of interest and also pile episode by episode the right luck in the right moment (and sorry for not even speaking about her shape).

• I was not expecting a "slice of life" series, but here she always go for gambling only, nothing more, it's like when you take a normal series and you cut all scenes but gambling.

• It looks for many characters there is some sort of connection between gambling and libido: Fan service? I am not a gambler so I can not say, but I can't understand.

This is one of the anime's that made me watch anime

[gamecaster · 10/10 · 1 April 2018]

This is an excellent anime and I think it could be really good for everyone to watch! The mysteries are nice and it's amazing how they made simple games like poker so fun to watch and not boring at all!

Disliked the Ecchi-Content very much.

[Lukasmj · 6/10 · 6 January 2023]

Kakegurui is a Japanese anime series that premiered in July 2017 and is based on the manga of the same name by Homura Kawamoto. The setting is a private school whose visitors secure their social status by gambling.

"Kakegurui - Life is a Game" is very exciting with its various games of chance, but I couldn't get used to the sexualization of the characters at all, which ruined the anime for much.

It's a pity actually, because I think that without the perversions it could have been an exciting anime, like I think the anime could have potential bring back some Yu-Gi-Oh-Vibes.

Watch it if you have no problem with Ecchi-Content.

Terrible. The worst type of "mystery" there is. Supposed to be surprising, but it only is because you aren't shown all the evidence.

[daavramov · 1/10 · 22 September 2017]

I hate shows like this. What I love about mystery is being surprised by a smart mystery's solution after not being able to figure it out by myself.

But this show is what I call biased mystery. It focuses on supposedly curious mysteries, for example, how someone is able to cheat in a card game in a seemingly impossible way, and the characters are able to figure the mystery out in a way that is supposed to impress and surprise us, but the viewer doesn't actually get to see all the evidence, so all the thinking is left to the character, meaning the solution doesn't have to make sense at all and can be anything the writers wanted it to be, and the only reason it's surprising is because you weren't shown all the evidence rather than being smart or unexpected.

This is just painful to watch and not curious at all. Go watch real mystery, save your time and skip this garbage.

A High-Stakes Thrill Ride with a Few Gambles

[lipnusis · 7/10 · 15 June 2023]

Kakegurui is an anime series that delves into the twisted world of high-stakes gambling, offering viewers a thrilling and intense experience. With its unique premise and engaging characters, the show manages to keep audiences on the edge of their seats. While Kakegurui excels in certain aspects, it also falls short in a few areas, warranting a rating of 7/10.

One of the standout features of Kakegurui is its captivating storyline. Set in a prestigious academy where gambling reigns supreme, the show explores the dark and manipulative nature of human psychology. Each episode presents a new gambling game or challenge that pushes the boundaries of rationality and morality, keeping viewers hooked as they witness the characters' relentless pursuit of victory.

The series boasts a diverse cast of characters, each with their own unique gambling strategies and quirks. Yumeko Jabami, the protagonist, is a fearless and enigmatic gambler who thrives on the thrill of risk-taking. Her interactions with other students, such as the cunning and calculating Mary Saotome, add layers of complexity to the story, making the battles of wits all the more exciting.

Moreover, the animation in Kakegurui is vibrant and visually striking. The character designs are distinctive and expressive, capturing the intense emotions and mind games that unfold during the gambling matches. The show's art style effectively conveys the opulence and decadence of the academy setting, immersing viewers in a world where every bet is a high-stakes affair.

However, Kakegurui does have its shortcomings. One area where the series falters is in its pacing. While the high-intensity gambling moments are gripping, there are instances where the story feels dragged out, particularly during the exposition and buildup leading to the actual games. This pacing issue can sometimes dampen the overall excitement and make certain episodes feel less impactful.

Additionally, some viewers may find it difficult to suspend their disbelief when it comes to the exaggerated nature of the gambling scenarios. While Kakegurui strives to create a heightened sense of tension and drama, it occasionally veers into the realm of implausibility, stretching the boundaries of logic and realism. This might detract from the immersion for those seeking a more grounded narrative.

Furthermore, despite its strong premise, Kakegurui falls short in fully exploring the complexities of its characters. While the show introduces a vast array of interesting personalities, it often neglects to delve deep into their backstories and motivations. This leaves some characters feeling underdeveloped and leaves potential for richer character arcs untapped.

In conclusion, Kakegurui offers a thrilling and visually captivating journey into the world of high-stakes gambling. The storyline is engaging, the characters are intriguing, and the animation is visually impressive. However, the series suffers from pacing issues, occasional lapses in believability, and underdeveloped character arcs. With improvements in these areas, Kakegurui has the potential to be an even more compelling and immersive anime. As it stands, it earns a solid 7/10 rating.

New opinion

[WeAreLive · 8/10 · 27 June 2019]

Well, if any of you read my last review which I posted last year you might have noticed I was not very happy with the series cause I found the series straight up weird and terrifying and the end for season 1 (shudders) that took me a long time to get over. But now that I have finished season 2 that has changed.

This is an unpopular opinion but I personally think season 2 is much better than season 1. As, I thought with season one the characters were uninteresting the plot hole was weird and the ending was FTW. But when, i watched I was more relaxed with the series and what to expect as the gambling was more interesting and the characters had more development.

The animation and art style was great and voice acting was spot on.

If you love a good anime about gambling watch this. If you have friends watch it with it is a real pleasure. bIf you skip it you are not ready to get your gambling freak on.

Episodes dubbed and subbed are all available on netflix. (thumbs up)